Politics

The politics of Tanzania takes place in a framework of a federal presidential democratic republic, whereby the President of Tanzania is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Executive Branch

Tanzania's president is elected by direct popular vote for 5-year terms. The president appoints a prime minister who serves as the government's leader in the National Assembly. The president selects his cabinet from among National Assembly members. The Constitution also empowers him to nominate 10 non-elected members of Parliament, who also are eligible to become cabinet members.

Legislative Branch

The unicameral National Assembly of Tanzania (or Bunge) has 324 seats - all members serving five-year terms:

302 elected by popular vote (20% allocated to women chosen by their parties in proportion to their share of the electoral vote)
10 nominated by the president
5 members chosen by the Zanzibar House of Representatives
2 ex-officio members

In addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland. Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms).

Laws passed by the National Assembly are valid for Zanzibar only in specifically designated union matters. Zanzibar's House of Representatives has jurisdiction over all non-union matters.

There are currently 81 members in the House of Representatives in Zanzibar, including 50 elected by the people, 15 appointed by the president of Zanzibar, 5 ex-officio members and an attorney general appointed by the president. Ostensibly, Zanzibar's House of Representatives can make laws for Zanzibar without the approval of the union government as long as it does not involve union-designated matters. The terms of office for Zanzibar's president and House of Representatives is also 5 years. The semiautonomous relationship between Zanzibar and the union is a relatively unique system of government.

Judicial Branch

Tanzania has a five-level judiciary combining the jurisdictions of tribal, Islamic and British common law. Appeal is from the primary courts through the district courts, resident magistrate courts, to the high courts and Court of Appeals. Judges are appointed by the Chief Justice, except those for the Court of Appeals and the High Court who are appointed by the president.

The Zanzibari court system parallels the legal system of the union, and all cases tried in Zanzibari courts (except for those involving constitutional issues and Islamic law) can be appealed to the Court of Appeals of the union. A commercial court was established in September 1999 as a division of the High Court.